10% Inspiration.

The strengths of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, enacted in December, 1970, which created both NIOSH and OSHA were discussed. The author addresses four aspects of the Act which he considers particularly inspired. The first is the clarity of the Act with respect to instructions to NIOSH on what it is expected to do and how it is to do it. The second is the rights granted in the Act giving NIOSH access to records that are essential for the conduct high quality research studies. The Third is the placement of OSHA in the Department of Labor and NIOSH in the Department of Health and Human Services. This helps to ensure the independence of the two departments, while allowing them to function as true partners. NIOSH is responsible for identifying hazards, assessing risks and making recommendations, while OSHA manages the risks identified by NIOSH. The fourth aspect is that Section 2 of the Act emphasizes prevention of occupational diseases and injuries, which the author considers the only true solution to the problem of occupational safety and health.